It is the season of celebration, and that means time of family, reflection, and thoughts about the true meaning of the season.
In December in an increasingly diverse Canada, Saskatchewan, and even here in Yorkton, the celebrations are now varied.
In Yorkton it remains predominantly Christian, and that means celebrating Christmas.
For many of us that is the holiday we grew up with, and it permeates our society, from the advertising of a myriad of gift ideas, to the pageants in our schools.
But it takes only a glimpse of a modern calendar to recognize Christmas is not the only holiday of religious significance in December. The month encompasses the Christian and Jewish celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah, but also includes spiritually significant days for Muslims, Buddhists, Pagans and Zoroastrians.
A few quick examples;
• Dec. 5, Ashura, the 10th day of the first month on the Islamic calendar. Sunnis, the largest group of Muslims, remember that the Prophet Muhammad fasted in solidarity with Jews who were observing Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Shiites recall the death of Muhammad’s grandson in battle, an event that led to their differences with the Sunnis.
• Dec. 6, the feast of St. Nicholas. Some Christians revere the fourth-century bishop of Myra, a Greek province in Asia Minor. His reputation for piety may have inspired the legend of Santa Claus. The tradition of leaving gifts for children on St. Nicholas Day began in the Low Countries and spread to North America with Dutch immigrants.
• Dec. 8, Bodhi Day. Buddhists recall that Siddhartha Gautama vowed to sit under a tree in what is now Bodhgaya, India, and not to rise until he was enlightened. The title Buddha means “awakened one.”
• Dec. 21, Yalda, the Zoroastrian celebration of the winter solstice.
• Dec. 22, Yule or winter solstice, the shortest day in the Northern Hemisphere. Juul, a pre-Christian festival observed in Scandinavia, featured fires lit to symbolize the heat, light and life-giving properties of the returning sun. Wiccans and other pagan groups celebrate Yule.
This is also the starting date for Kwanzaa, a weeklong, modern African-American and pan-African celebration of family, community and culture. For some people who keep Kwanzaa, the festival has spiritual overtones in its emphasis on imani, Swahili for “faith.”
The important thing is to appreciate the season, to respect those around us who celebrate in ways different from our own.
This is a time which extolls renewal, understanding, tolerance, peace on earth, and that should be the spirit which overlaps all the holidays, and fosters a better year ahead for all.
